


Doubled Rooks

by penny



Category: G.I. Joe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/M, Mind Control, Mission Fic, Undercover, awesome women
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-14
Updated: 2010-12-14
Packaged: 2017-10-13 16:13:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/139204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/penny/pseuds/penny
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Hawk summoned her and Flint into his office, Lady Jaye figured he wanted to ask them to clarify something in their report on the Ageless Care Spa. Not that it was outlandish as far as mission reports went, but Hawk read everything with a keen eye and wasn't shy about asking for additional details. She was not expecting to see Matthew Burke lounging in one of chairs, ceramic mug in hand, dunking a bag of Lipton in the steaming liquid.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Doubled Rooks

**Author's Note:**

  * For [amykay73](https://archiveofourown.org/users/amykay73/gifts).



> Set after "The Spy Who Rooked Me" and "Grey Hairs and Growing Pains", with a brief reference to "Eau De Cobra". Matthew Burke appears in "The Spy Who Rooked Me", and I couldn't resist giving Lady Jaye and Flint the chance to get some form of revenge on him. Thank you for giving me the opportunity, amykay. I hope you enjoy! :D

When Hawk summoned her and Flint into his office, Lady Jaye figured he wanted to ask them to clarify something in their report on the Ageless Care Spa. Not that it was outlandish as far as mission reports went, but Hawk read everything with a keen eye and wasn't shy about asking for additional details. She was not expecting to see Matthew Burke lounging in one of chairs, ceramic mug in hand, dunking a bag of Lipton in the steaming liquid. "I'll have to remember to ask Auntie to include real tea in my Stateside rations," he said to Hawk, straightening up when she entered with Flint. "Ah, so punctual. Just what I expect of you Joes."

"Oh no," she said. "Not _him_."

"Mister Burke is here on business." Hawk said.

"I would hope it's not a social call."

"Oh dear. Are you upset about last time? Your performance was commendable. It's why I'm here again." Burke flashed them what was supposed to be a charming smile, but she had his number. "And it's why I've asked for both of you."

"Well ask for someone else." She glared at Hawk. They should all have his number. How dare Hawk just let him waltz back in here!

"I don't think we have a choice, Lady Jaye." Flint sighed and touched the small of her back briefly before sliding past her to stand in front of Hawk's desk. "Or a different team would be in here."

"No, you don't." Hawk waved to the two vacant chairs. "Have a seat."

"Let me guess." She sat, stiff-backed, next to Flint. "You need another decoy team so you can single-handedly save the day again? Well, G.I. Joe is at your disposal, apparently."

"You are still upset about last time. Shame." Burke fished the tea bag from his mug and tossed in in the trash, his expression pinched.

"You did take credit for their work," Hawk said mildly. "That doesn't go over too well here. Still," he shifted and cut her a warning look, "that's enough, Lady Jaye. We need to focus on the mission."

Flint snorted. "Sorry," he said when Hawk extended the warning glare to him. "What's the mission?"

"Undercover work." Burke flashed them another smile. Why had she thought he was charming? Oh, the streaks of grey at his temples (natural or dyed?) and his accent (he had to be playing it up) made him seem distinguished, but the suave demeanor, the charm, that was a deliberate act. She could see it clearly now.

"What kind of undercover work?" Flint asked, his voice edged with annoyance.

"Well, for Miss Jaye here --"

" _Lady_ Jaye," she corrected.

"Apologies," Burke said smoothly. "For Lady Jaye here, an invitation to a gala."

Hawk slid a thick cream-colored envelope across his desk. "You and Burke will be attending the grand opening for the new headquarters of Extensive Enterprises."

She reached for the invitation. _Mr. and Mrs. Ray Williams_ , the envelope said in sweeping calligraphy, hand-written in black ink. The Extensive Enterprises logo was embossed on a gold sticker on the back. "Fancy." She flicked the envelope back on Hawk's desk. "And Flint?"

"A waiter at the event." Burke scooped up the invitation and slid it into his breast pocket. "So we have an inside man."

She couldn't help her snicker. Flint, a waiter. He did look nice in a suit, but the image of him in a white jacket and black tie offering a silver tray with spindly glasses of champagne...that wasn't Flint.

"Yeah," Flint said, like he knew what she was thinking. Or maybe he had just come to the same mental image. "But at least I'm not Burke's date. Not that I'm too happy you're filling that role."

She sighed. Yes, there was that. "Actually, according to that invitation, I'm his," she grimaced, "wife."

Flint choked, and she couldn't tell if it was on a laugh or an outraged comment. She'd deserve the laugh. She'd prefer the laugh.

"The gala's tomorrow night. That doesn't give us much time to prepare," she said, looking to Hawk. His expression was impassive, which meant he wasn't happy with Burke but didn't have the clout to refuse him. "Just what are we supposed to accomplish?"

"Two objectives." Hawk opened his desk drawer and pulled out a computer disk disk. "You're going to sneak into Tomax and Xamot's office and install this program. It will give us access to their computer network. Then you're going to bug their phones."

"Ballsy," Flint said. "So why is Burke here?"

Burke set his mug down on the corner of Hawk's desk and rose. "It's been argued I owe you chaps. If we're caught in the midst of our highly illegal espionage activities, it's a British operation, not an American one. But," he flashed that calculated charming grin again, "we're all professionals. So the end result will be both of our organizations benefitting from our success."

"I'm glad your Auntie listens to reason." She whipped out one of her killer smiles. No reason why Burke should be the only one playing up the charm. "Permission to go shopping, sir? Mrs. Williams needs a dress."

"Oh, Auntie didn't send me here without gifts. I have a stunning gown for you, darling. And your waiter uniform, Flint."

She turned to Hawk. "He's kidding, right?"

"Funding's tight. I'm not turning down Auntie's generosity." Hawk's smile was strained. "Report back at thirteen hundred tomorrow."

* * *

She hated to admit Burke had good taste. The gown he provided, a sequined scarlet number, wasn't something she'd have picked out herself, but the color made her skin glow, and the gown itself fit...well, she'd certainly be turning heads. She smoothed fabric over her hips, sequins scratching at her palms. There was a long slit up her left leg, so she wasn't hobbled by the dress.

There was a knock on the door, and then Flint whistled. "I had a feeling he'd put you in something slinky."

She glanced back at him. "Zip me up, will you?"

His smile was wolfish. "Sure you don't want your husband to do the honors?"

"Oh hush."

He chuckled and came up behind her, fingers warm on her back. "Hmm. Perfume smells familiar. Takes me back to that Airtes mission."

She laughed. "It's not the same blend, but I like it."

"And the man who gave it to you?" He kissed the back of her neck.

"I like him, too." She turned and looped her arms around his neck. He was, she noticed, wearing the subtle woodsy aftershave she liked. "Sometimes."

"Only sometimes?"

"Thanks for zipping me up." She kissed his cheek, then pulled away. "But I have to go meet my husband now."

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Flint stroked the wig she was supposed to wear. "I think this is real hair."

"Oh, it is. Burke's Auntie only provides the best." She sighed and reached for it. It was the same shade and length as the Baroness's hair, and while she wasn't quite as pale as the Baroness, she did not like how similar it made them look. Put a pair of glasses on her and...

"Wow." Flint stood at her shoulder, blinking at their reflection as she adjusted the wig. "You look like --"

"Say it, and I will punch you. I have opera gloves, so I can bruise up my knuckles and attend the gala with no one the wiser."

His grin widened. "You look like you don't want to keep your husband waiting, Mrs. Williams."

"He always takes me to the nicest parties." She touched Flint's cheek. "Be careful."

He cupped his hand over hers. "You too. I don't trust Burke to watch your back."

She broke away and scooped up her clutch purse. "I'm trusting you to watch it."

* * *

Burke had shaved his mustache and touched up the grey at his temples so his hair was completely black. It made him look much younger, closer to her age, so she felt less like like a trophy wife. And that made her feel more at ease. When she was undercover, she didn't mind playing a harmless little thing dangling off her (male) partner's arm because her fellow Joes, even the most chauvinistic ones, _respected_ her. Burke...she had the distinct impression he'd categorized her as "woman" and not "operative of equal standing". Jerk.

"Enjoying yourself, dear?" Burke had even changed his accent. Now it was American, Midwestern, so he did not stand out. Nice to know he could tone it down.

"It's certainly a networking opportunity." She accepted a drink from a passing waiter, not Flint. She was beginning to worry because she hadn't seen him yet. "Is that Senator Wallingford?"

"Mmmhmm." Burke scanned the room. "And his lovely wife. Ah, and there's your governor."

"Let's hope Cobra doesn't have something planned." It was a possibility given the guest list. She set her glass down on a table and threaded through the crowd. There, near the north window, Flint with a tray of hors d'oeuvres.

Burke came up alongside her and slid his arm around her waist, pulling her close. "And there," he murmured in her ear, "are our generous hosts."

Tomax and Xamot. She did not recognize the woman with Tomax, but there was no mistaking the Baroness, one hand tucked through Xamot's arm, her nails bright red against the black fabric of his tuxedo jacket. She and the Baroness made eye contact briefly. The Baroness smirked and raised her wine glass in a mocking toast.

Lady Jaye leaned into Burke's shoulder. "They know."

"They can't know unless there was a breech in _your_ security."

She tilted her chin towards Flint. "Or unless they recognized his face and caught him before he came on the floor." She ignored the dread curling in the pit of her stomach. Flint could handle himself. Even if he'd been caught, he'd pull through. "I'm going to make sure we still have our inside man."

"Don't be late for the next dance, my dear!" Burke said as she strode away.

She made her way towards Flint. He looked right through her, which was part of the plan, but even when they were on assignments where they weren't supposed to know each other, they still made brief eye contact for mutual reassurance. "Excuse me," she said, helping herself to a bacon-wrapped scallop from his tray. "Can you point me towards the ladies room?"

"Down that hall and to your left, ma'am."

It was not the correct code reply, and that was not Flint's voice. Oh, it was an excellent impersonation, one that would fool most people, even a number of their fellow Joes, but it lacked the richness, the warmth of Flint's tone when he spoke to her. She smiled and thanked him, then tossed her scallop in the trash as she exited the main room. Given the near-flawless impersonation, that was likely Zartan, and if it was him, the Dreadnoks were also here. The mixture of those bozos with the Crimson Guard and the Baroness...the Joes weren't the only ones with a plan.

She sighed. So now their mission parameters had expanded to include finding Flint, _and_ stopping Cobra. One day, she'd have a straightforward mission.

The restroom was elegant but surprisingly utilitarian. She was expecting something overly ostentatious, but then, Tomax and Xamot were businessmen interested in profit, not men interested in showing off. She checked to make sure she was alone, then ducked into a stall and pulled the small radio from her purse and flipped to the designated communication frequency. "Lady Jaye to base."

"Dial-Tone here. What's the word?"

"Cobra's replaced Flint with an impostor. My bet's on Zartan. The Baroness is with Xamot. I haven't been able to identify the woman with Tomax, but my bet is she's one of Baroness's subordinates or Zarana. Cobra's up to --" The door to the restroom opened, and she couldn't help hearing the sharp click of heels on the tile as ominous. "Hold on," she whispered, muting the sound on the radio and sliding it, still transmitting, back in her purse.

"You may as well come out, darling," the Baroness said, and Lady Jaye could hear the triumphant smirk in her tone. Worse, she could hear more footsteps, the clap of military style boots, not the dainty snip of impractical stilettos. "There is only one exit."

She took a breath, locked her tension and fear away in it, and let it out. She could still try to play Mrs. Williams. "I beg your pardon?"

"You're going to continue your charade, _Lady Jaye_?" The Baroness chuckled. "We've known you and Flint and Matthew Burke from the start."

It had been foolish to send in Flint, someone whose face Cobra knew well, without a better disguise. But Burke had insisted, and they'd had to work around his lead. Lady Jaye sighed and stepped out of the stall. The Baroness stood near the porcelain sinks, brazen with one hand on her hip, her left leg slightly forward so she showed a long expanse of leg through the slit of her black dress. She was flanked by four members of the Crimson Guard, masked and in full uniform, and, of course, armed.

"Did Flint choose your wig?" Her smirk twisted. "We always have had chemistry. No no," she wagged her finger as Lady Jaye made to reach inside her purse. "Put it on the edge of the sink, darling, and then step away."

Lady Jaye obeyed. "Sorry to disappoint you, but my husband selected everything."

"I do have admirers the world over." The Baroness chuckled. "Come along. You don't want to miss the show." She turned, flipping her hair over her shoulder, and said to the Crimson Guard nearest to her, "Cuff her. We don't want any surprises."

"Yes, ma'am." He took a step towards her.

Lady Jaye shifted into a defensive stance.

"Try anything," the Baroness said, glancing back over her shoulder, "and I'll give the order to kill Flint."

She'd give the order anyway, but after whatever show Cobra had planned. So there was time to wait for a better chance to escape and find Flint and Burke. Lady Jaye straightened up and let the guardsman cuff her hands behind her back.

* * *

The Baroness escorted her to one of the freight elevators and keyed in a special code. The elevator lurched, and then descended down past B2, the lowest floor on the panel. "So what are you planning? Kidnapping the governor? Or maybe Senator Wallingford?"

"Oh, nothing so pedestrian, darling." The elevator stopped at what had to be B9 or B10 judging by the time of the descent. The Baroness turned, looked her over. "You're a poor imitation of the real thing."

Lady Jaye laughed. "Oh, _darling_ ," she said in a perfect imitation of the Baroness's voice, "if I'd been impersonating you, I'd have convinced everyone you're the impostor."

The Baroness frowned, then ripped the wig from Lady Jaye's head. It hurt, but she refused to wince and give the Baroness that small victory. The Baroness stalked out of the elevator and tossed the wig away. One of the Crimson Guards nudged her with the barrel of his rifle, so she trailed behind the Baroness down the hall.

The walls down here were bare-bones steel. No doors except for the one at the end, a keypad and retina scanner off to the left. The Baroness angled herself so she blocked Lady Jaye's view of the pad, entered a twelve digit code, and then submitted to the retina scan. The light above the door blinked green, and the lock disengaged.

The Baroness swung the door open and motioned for the guards to escort Lady Jaye in. "I should have you escorted back up to the gala --"

"But then," Tomax interrupted, and he and Xamot turned away from a wall of monitors. Tomax removed his hand from the shoulder of the Crimson Guardsman manning the monitors.

Xamot picked up the sentence. "We wouldn't get..."

"...to gloat," they finished together.

Lady Jaye took in the room quickly. It was a command center of some sort. The wall in front of the twins was a bank of monitors. The central one, the largest monitor, showed the event upstairs. The row of monitors bordering it showed a number of different shots, likely from the building's security cameras. She caught a flash of silver (the edge of a fluttering dress?) in the upper left screen, then nothing.

"I wouldn't want you to deny yourselves," she said, looking away from the monitors. Flint and Burke were on their knees off to her left, each bound and flanked by a pair of Crimson Guards with laser rifles trained on them. Something (she refused to name it since she had purged her tension and fear) loosened in her chest when she caught sight of Flint. And then it was replaced by a hot spill of anger because they had worked Flint over. She curled her hands into fists.

"I'm glad you decided to join us." Burke flashed one of his charming smiles. "They've been insisting that the full team be assembled before they reveal their self-proclaimed nefarious plan."

"I'm on the edge of my metaphorical seat since our hosts aren't gentlemanly enough to offer a lady a seat," Lady Jaye said.

"Our apologies," Tomax said.

Xamot hooked his foot under one leg of a wheeled chair. "Baroness?"

"Thank you, gentleman." The Baroness sat and spun so she was facing Flint and Burke. She crossed her legs, left over right, so she flashed an indecent amount of thigh.

Burke gazed at her leg, then dragged his gaze up to linger on her cleavage before finally meeting her eyes. Flint, Lady Jaye was happy to see, focused on her with his right eye, the one that wasn't swollen shut.

"It's quite simple. Observe." She snapped her fingers, and the guardsman manning the controls keyed in a command.

All the monitors went blank, and then the gala took up the entire wall. There were Crimson Guardsmen in gas masks at every door and window, and thick yellow smoke was pouring into the room through the vents.

"You remember our mind control gas, don't you, darlings?" The Baroness rose and took a small glass perfume vial Xamot withdrew from his pocket. "We've had a chance to refine it." She bent over Burke, then Flint, spraying it in both of their faces. She tucked two fingers under Flint's chin. "Don't I look beautiful, darlings?"

"Yes," Flint and Burke said.

She chuckled, low and throaty. "And you serve me now."

"Yes, mistress," both of them said, expressions glazed.

"Such good boys." The Baroness moved to stand between them and turned to face Lady Jaye, stroking their heads. "Release them," she ordered the guards. "They won't do anything unless I order it, will you, my pets?"

They shook their heads. "No, mistress. Nothing unless you will it."

"Oh, please," Lady Jaye said, glancing at the monitors. The guests were choking, some trying for the doors and windows, only to be shoved back towards the center of the room by the guards. "It only lasts a few hours."

Xamot said, "The improved formula is permanent..."

Tomax withdrew a matching vial from his pocket. "...unless the antidote is administered..."

"...within twenty-four hours," they finished together.

Lady Jaye rolled her eyes. That habit of their was annoying, but she needed to keep them talking, at least until --

The power went out.

At least until that. "Cutting it close, Cover Girl," Lady Jaye murmured, crouching and getting her bearings to kick where Tomax should be. She connected with his wrist, heard Xamot's sharp cry of pain, and she heard then the tinkle of glass breaking. She hoped she'd knocked the vial close enough to Flint and Burke to do some good.

Tomax shouldered past her to the door. "Brother, Baroness, come. We have another set of intruders."

The building's generator kicked in. The door's lock disengaged. She spun, dislocated the knee of one of her guards, and lurched after the Crimson Twins and the Baroness. She got a shoulder against the door as they slammed it shut. Then one of the guards wrapped an arm around her throat and hauled her backwards. She kicked at him.

"Flint! Burke!"

Both were still kneeling on the floor, eyes glazed. She kicked again, this time at a second guard approaching her, catching him under the chin. "Oh, for god's sake." She switched to her Baroness voice. "Help the woman!"

That got their attention. Flint shook his head, blinked, then focused on her struggling against the guards. "Lady...Jaye?"

"Will you snap out of it," she kicked again, snarling when a guard grabbed her ankle, "and help me?"

He blinked up at her a couple more times, rubbed his face, then finally rose. "I feel --"

"Subdue the guards!" she snapped in her Baroness voice.

"Better," Flint said, and entered the fray.

Burke was a little slower, but her second Baroness-style command got him to his feet. It wasn't long before the guards were either disabled or unconscious. Flint and Burke quickly bound them.

"Get these cuffs off me," Lady Jaye said.

"What happened?" Flint came up behind her, ran his thumb over the inside of her wrist just above the cuffs, then unlocked them.

"Mind control gas." She turned, rubbing her wrists. The cuffs had been tight, but not bad enough to cut off circulation. She studied Flint's face, looking for confusion, hesitance, any indication he might need a second dose of the antidote.

"Again? You think Cobra would try something different."

The sly glint in his eye was her Flint. She smiled. "Maybe funding's tight for them, too."

"Well, this is touching," Burke said, "But am I the only one who remembers we have a mission?"

"Nope, but the parameters just changed. We need to find the antidote and pipe it into the main room." Lady Jaye approached the computer terminal. "I'm hoping this is a communications hub, too. Ah!" She found communications terminal and tuned in the correct frequency. "Lady Jaye to base."

There was static for a moment, then Dial-Tone replied. "It's good to hear your voice again. You get all your ducks in a row?"

"Two quacking behind me. You got a bird there?"

Hawk replied. "One that's worth two in the bush."

"Good." She filled Hawk in on the gala and mind control gas.

"Find that antidote, get it in the vents. I'll give the order for Duke to move in and make sure none of the guests get out until they're back to themselves."

"Any word from our trumpeter swans?"

"Cozy in their pond after a successful flight. I'll send them to assist you."

Lady Jaye let out a shaky breath. So, Cover Girl and Shipwreck had made it to Tomax and Xamot's office, planted the program and tapped the phones. Good. She didn't mind being their decoy, especially since it worked.

And most especially since Burke hadn't been in on the plan.

"Is one of you going to tell me what's going on?" Burke demanded as Lady Jaye erased the log of their conversation and Flint pilfered laser rifles from the guards.

"You heard our commander." Flint shoved a rifle at Burke. "We've got to find and administer the antidote."

She pulled up a promising inventory file. "Found it. Five barrels in a storeroom three floors up." She accessed the building's floor plans and pointed out the room.

Flint came up behind her and leaned over her shoulder, bracing himself with a hand on the small of her back. Given their audience, he was too close, his touch too intimate, but Lady Jaye didn't care. He was all right, and he was her Flint, and it was his way of telling her they'd finish this mission right.

"But --"

"Move, Burke," Lady Jaye said, picking up the rifle Flint had placed on the desk for her.

"Trumpeter swans?" Burke asked when they were out in the hall.

"Hawk's a fan of E.B. White." Lady Jaye glanced over her shoulder at Burke and smirked. "In case your Auntie ever feels like exchanging Christmas gifts."

Burke frowned. "I'll pass word along, though it doesn't answer my question."

"You're supposed to be clever, Burke," Flint said, taking up position at the bottom of the stairwell opposite of Lady Jaye. "Figure it out."

"You set yourselves up as the decoy."

"Technically, you did when you arranged for Flint to infiltrate the serving staff without a mask." She peeked around the corner and up the stairs. No Cobra guards. She flashed the all clear sign and darted up the flight.

They made their way up three floors, fighting through minimal security. "I'm a bit concerned by the fact Cobra appears to be retreating!" Flint yelled as they fought their way to the storeroom with the antidote.

"The building is over-insured," Burke said. "I wouldn't be surprised if they've adjusted their plans to torch it."

"Not with their current guest list." Her rifle's charge indicator turned red. "They'll get their controlled targets out first," she said, squeezing out the last shot.

Someone started firing at the Cobra guards from the other end of the hall. Lady Jaye shielded her eyes. Cover Girl, still in her gala dress, the silver sequins shimmering in the flickering emergency lights. And next to her...Lady Jaye blinked.

Shipwreck. Shipwreck clean-shaven and in a tux. Shipwreck clean-shaved, in a tux, and only recognizable because Hawk had told her and Flint he'd be infiltrating the gala with Cover Girl specifically because, "Nobody will recognize him without the beard."

"Would they be your trumpeter swans?" Burke asked with a grin. "You know they mate for life."

Lady Jaye made the mistake of meeting Flint's eyes. He laughed. "I'll tell Shipwreck if you tell Cover Girl."

"She'll never forgive you if you tell Shipwreck. _I'll_ never forgive you."

"Well, I can't have that." He pushed in front of her, raised his rifle. "Yo Joe!"

Shipwreck and Cover Girl echoed the battle cry, and they all advanced down the hallway. The few remaining Cobra soldiers dropped their weapons and held their hands up in surrender.

"Well, this was disappointedly easy," Burke said, staring at the barrels clearly marked Antidote.

"I hope that means you won't be taking credit for everything," Lady Jaye said.

" _My_ , but you do hold grudges."

"And we still have to get the antidote to the guests," Flint said. "Don't claim victory yet." He held Lady Jaye's gaze for a moment before addressing Shipwreck and Cover Girl. "The Crimson Twins and the Baroness?"

"Hellicoptor on the roof," Cover Girl said. "We didn't get there in time."

"I'm glad you got here in time." Lady Jaye glanced back at the barrels. "Let's put our prisoners to work."

Shipwreck's grin was recognizable, at least. "I like the way you think." He slid close to her. "What do you say you drop the husband and the waiter and run away with me?"

"Excuse me?" Cover Girl laughed at the same time Flint pressed closer with a scowl. She tugged Shipwreck away. "And here I was about ready to admit you clean up nice enough for a date."

"Whoops."

"Mmmhmm." Cover Girl laughed again. "Get to work, sailor."

* * *

Duke's squad had defeated the remaining Cobra security by the Lady Jaye and the others transported the antidote to the ground floor. "Set it up," Duke ordered, motioning for Lifeline to come to the front and oversee the operation. "Good job, everyone." He stared at Shipwreck for a moment longer than necessary and couldn't quite tamp down all of his amusement.

Lady Jaye leaned over to Cover Girl. "Please tell me there is photographic evidence of him all cleaned up and in a tux."

"I will neither confirm nor deny that General Hawk 'suggested' that Low Light catch a few shots with a telephoto lens just in case we ever need blackmail material to keep him in line." She looped her arm through Lady Jaye's. "I will also neither confirm nor deny if there are shots of Flint on the film."

"I'm pretty sure there are shots of us."

"Oh, I will confirm that. I made Low Light promise us copies of ours. We do look fabulous, after all." She winked and drew away as Duke signaled to them to head back to base. "And sadly, it's pumpkin time for us."

Flint made sure to hop in the same transport as her. "You look better with your own hair," he said, tousling it.

"Oh, stop, it's a mess!" Her laughter quickly faded. "Oh no. I lost the wig. I wonder how much Burke's Auntie is going to charge us for it."

"I'm sure you'll find out on your next paycheck."

She groaned. "Don't even joke about that."

"I suppose this isn't the time to tell you you ripped the dress, too."

She looked down. There was a long, jagged tear up the right side of her dress, and a few holes from the laser rifles down around her ankles. "I...don't even know when I did that."

"It's a shame. It was a nice dress." Flint slid closer so his shoulder was pressed against hers. "But I'll take your regular uniform over it."

"You certainly know how to charm a woman." She leaned against him as the truck pulled out into traffic. "Wake me up when we get back to base?" She wasn't really tired, but she liked having a chance to decompress, especially when she could do so nestled against Flint.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and rested his chin on the top of her head. "Sure."

"Your eye going to be okay?"

"It was just a few punches. Take your nap." He chuckled. "I hear it's hard work running around in heels."

She yawned. "And how tiring is it watching me?"

"You do trust me to watch your back. It's a nice view, but keeping up is exhausting."

"This is why I only like you sometimes." She smiled. "Now hush. I'm asleep."

"Have I ever gotten the last word?"

She started snoring.

"Funny, Lady Jaye. Funny. This is why _I_ only like _you_ sometimes."

"Liar."

"Yeah." He squeezed her shoulder. She curled her hand over his. He could have that last word. 

And maybe, if he didn't tease her too horribly about trumpeter swans or the ripped dress, she'd let them have the last word in their next conversation.


End file.
